E-3 Day 5 - Quick Release Plates

tspore · #1 11-30-2007, 12:40 PM

The E-3 is a unique camera no doubt about it, but really I need a quick release plate. So I spent today down at Acratech. (The company which I buy my ballheads from.) I have had the V2 ballhead for a few months now and I still love. Best ballhead I have ever owned, and its priced well too.

I really wanted a plate which was built to fit the E-3 perfectly. So I had Scott, the owner, bring out his calibrator, and he started measuring. So the good news is he Promised camera plates in the next few weeks, but the bad news is, The Body and the vertical shutter release will have 2 different plates, I do not want my plate to slip around, and basically to have a secure connection which will not slip, you must either have a 2nd pin hole as shown as #1 below, or a lip to stop the plate from slipping, see #2.

...Read more here.

Johannes · #2 11-30-2007, 11:59 PM

A second pin hole is good for the plate, thus no need to tighten the plate too much.
Now we can see another bad design of the grip without the 2nd pin hole as the body .... what's wrong with Olympus?

the beast · #3 12-01-2007, 12:10 AM

A couple of days ago Kirk was listing a pre-order for an L-plate but that has been removed from their website and has been replaced with a pre-order for a standard plate. I, myself, would like a standard body plate that would be more closely centered beneath the body along with the option of the L-plate.

Randy

mikemxyzzy · #4 12-01-2007, 06:35 AM

I have the Kirk plate for the E-510 (PZ-31). It has a lip at the back but no pin for the hole towards the lens (Similar to #1 on the E-3 photo above). Because the mounting screw is in a slot, I still need to tighten it down to keep it from moving. I would prefer a pin as well. I fell uncomfortable putting that much force on the tripod mount.

BBrat · #5 12-01-2007, 07:18 AM

I hope someone is able to get through to Olympus and redesign the HLD-4.

tspore · #6 12-01-2007, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBrat

I hope someone is able to get through to Olympus and redesign the HLD-4.

I wouldn't hold my breath for that one.

I am sure that they are on the next product development. The best that we can hope to do is influence the next generation of cameras.

jonr · #7 12-01-2007, 05:27 PM

I saw that Really Right stuff have added E-3 plates to their list. The L-plate is tempting... but then I need a new head... and plate for the 50-200...
And I agree with the grip design, what was Olympus thinking... After the thoughtful design of the E-3, the grip is... meh...

tspore · #8 12-01-2007, 06:36 PM

RRS link
Hum... It looks like it would block the battery door of the Vertical grip. But you could use 1 plate with both body only and with vertical grip.
But it would be a pain to have to take it on and off every time I switched out a battery.

gbbiv · #9 12-01-2007, 10:09 PM

Kirk is taking orders for a body plate and I emailed and they said they were going to produce a plate for the grip but not timeframe yet. If the Acratech guy's get it done first and done well I might try theirs. I've been happy with my kirk plates for the E-1.

gbbiv · #10 12-03-2007, 12:29 PM

Kirk just replied with the following concerning the availablity of a plate for the E-2 Battery Grip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk Customer Support

Its going to be after the first of the year

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbbiv

Kirk is taking orders for a body plate and I emailed and they said they were going to produce a plate for the grip but not timeframe yet. If the Acratech guy's get it done first and done well I might try theirs. I've been happy with my kirk plates for the E-1.

tspore · #11 12-03-2007, 02:54 PM

I called Scott, Owner of Acratech, and I should have a prototype by the end of the week for the E-3, so it may be here in the next 2 weeks.

gbbiv · #12 12-04-2007, 05:15 PM

Awesome... looking forward to see how it compares to the previous Kirk plates I have used.

gbbiv · #13 12-20-2007, 05:23 PM

Any update on this Tony?

tspore · #14 12-20-2007, 11:09 PM

I went down to Acratech today in fact to compare the E-3, 40D, and D200. Which I will post the update some time tomorrow. And We have a plate worked out for the body only. It will be a while till we come up with a plate for the grip.
Although I must say that I am less inclined to buy a plate for the grip, after trying to shoot the D200 with its plastic vertical grip on a tripod, It was way to sloppy. We had to take take the grip off and shoot it again.
Again these are not even Anodized yet. They will probably be ready the week after the new year.

Perfect fit....

(Click on pic's for a larger image.)

Pete Wilcox · #15 12-21-2007, 03:51 AM

That's pretty good looking. Do you know if it will work reliably with the RRS quick release plates, do they spec the same dimensions on the V grooves?

Knight Palm · #16 12-21-2007, 10:40 AM

Good initiative.
Looks like a minimalistic and elegant design.
What about the size of plates for comparable cameras in E-3 weight class?

I suppose a L-shaped plate is out of question for the E-3, since it may interfere with the foldout and twistable LCD.

Pete Wilcox · #17 12-21-2007, 10:54 AM

RRS is offering an L plate for the E-3 ($140). There isn't any real interference with the LCD. It's possible to touch it with the LCD, but not in an orientation that you would be likely to use.

tspore · #18 12-21-2007, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Wilcox

That's pretty good looking. Do you know if it will work reliably with the RRS quick release plates, do they spec the same dimensions on the V grooves?

It will probably be to small for the RRS Clamps. They are not the same exact spec's as all other Acra type clamps.
So for RRS clamps you have to use RRS plates, as far as I know. But I haven't tried this specific plate on a RRS head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight Palm

Good initiative.
Looks like a minimalistic and elegant design.
What about the size of plates for comparable cameras in E-3 weight class?

I suppose a L-shaped plate is out of question for the E-3, since it may interfere with the foldout and twistable LCD.

The plate will work fine for the head, It is built for it.

But now about the Vertical grip, I don't think it will be all that usable, it is way to bouncy. The plastic Vertical grip is flexible. I am just going to run a 4" lens plate instead of a dedicated plate. It has a side lip to grab onto the body too. The 4" plate will be resuable in the future, and cheaper in the long run. Plus its size will be better for stability. However if you use a tripod, it still will be best to take off the vertical grip if you plan on mounting the body straight to the tripod. NOTE: In the last 2 pictures you can see that this make shift bracket does not interfere with the battery door.

jkline · #19 12-23-2007, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tspore

But now about the Vertical grip, I don't think it will be all that usable, it is way to bouncy. The plastic Vertical grip is flexible. I am just going to run a 4" lens plate instead of a dedicated plate.

Does this mean Acratech isn't going to make a plate for the HLD-4?

tspore · #20 12-23-2007, 11:49 PM

They may, but not this week. Really it will not be as strong as using a 4" lens plate.
I have to say I am a bit disappointed with the HLD-4. So Scott said that they should come up with something after the new year. But it won't be all that useful in my opinion, to shaky.

jkline · #21 12-24-2007, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tspore

They may, but not this week. Really it will not be as strong as using a 4" lens plate.

Wouldn't that depend on the design they come up with? I would assume a plate the full width and depth of the grip, with perhaps a lip on three sides (all but the back) would be stronger than the 4" lens plate.

I never removed the grip from my E-1 and I'd like to be able to do the same for my E-3 -- and I'd be willing to pay a premium for this. I realize Acratech needs to see a return on their investment in time to design the plate and that a sale of one plate isn't going to do it. Perhaps we could get enough prepaid sales here to make it worth their time. If not, I'd be interested in knowing the one off price for a custom plate.

the beast · #22 12-24-2007, 04:08 PM

The battery grip for the E-1 is very rigid compared to the HLD-4 battery grip. When I first put the HLD-4 on the E-3 +12-60mm lens it would "creak" as I rotated the body in one hand. The mounting screw was tight and the tower fully seated but it would make that noise.
I just put the E-3/HLD-4 combo on the 90-250mm lens and will just use the RRS L-plate in the future for macro and short lens use. I just wish that RRS would make a plate similar to the one that they made for the E-1 body for use on the E-3 body (a longer one that follows the contours). That one fit like a glove.

Randy

lesmess · #23 12-26-2007, 08:44 AM

Hi Folks

I have an E3 & E1 both fitted with there respective grips, tripod attachment on both grips are almost identical. There has been no problems with slippage using my quick release plates on either camera. The E1 & HLD-2 has been around for 4 years, if this is an issue can't understand why it's not been fixed.

I must be missing the issue here, I have a Manfrotto 322RC2 ball head and several quick release plates. The plates have a thin rubber covering and have a locating pin that can be removed or relocated in another two holes. When secured to either grip it won't move without something breaking. Granted the lenses i use are fairly light, however I have attached an E1 & 50-200 lens using the lens mount with no problems. I adjust the ball head friction control to the required level depending on which lens i use. I was comfortable with my present set-up, however this thread has given me slight concerns. What are you folks hanging off your cameras to need these large quick release mounts? Do i need to consider a more heavy duty set-up? Sharpness has never been an issue with my present set up, even when using long exposure times.

Rand47 · #24 12-26-2007, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tspore

It will probably be to small for the RRS Clamps. They are not the same exact spec's as all other Acra type clamps.
So for RRS clamps you have to use RRS plates, as far as I know. But I haven't tried this specific plate on a RRS head.

The plate will work fine for the head, It is built for it.

But now about the Vertical grip, I don't think it will be all that usable, it is way to bouncy. The plastic Vertical grip is flexible. I am just going to run a 4" lens plate instead of a dedicated plate. It has a side lip to grab onto the body too. The 4" plate will be resuable in the future, and cheaper in the long run. Plus its size will be better for stability. However if you use a tripod, it still will be best to take off the vertical grip if you plan on mounting the body straight to the tripod. NOTE: In the last 2 pictures you can see that this make shift bracket does not interfere with the battery door.

The Wimberley P5 Arca-Type Universal Quick Release plate works fine on the batt. grip.

tspore · #25 12-26-2007, 11:51 PM

Sure you can use a universal plate, but I have had slippage issues from time to time with some of them, the best one that I have found is Acratech's universal cork plate.

lesmess -
I really like the Manfrotto style heds, expecially that one in particular, but they have a few differences, which Acra style heads differ.
First a head from RRS or Acratech is very light, less than 1 pound from Acratech. 2nd, the plate tend to not slide because they are custom made for the camera, so that means that there are 2 locking places to keep it from sliding, such as the screw hole and either grabbing the lip of the camera, or the second pin hole. There are a few other differences, but really those are the biggest 2 that I can think of off the top of my head. I really like the clamping mechanism of the Manfrotto over the clamp or screw of the Acratech ballheads. But for me when hauling all this stuff a pound more is a Big deal.